BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills watched from afar as the Philadelphia Eagles' defensive line had a field day against the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes en route to winning Super Bowl LIX.
It was just two weeks prior that the Bills fell short, once again, to the Chiefs in the postseason. The performance only put more focus on Buffalo's own defensive line and the need for a more effective pass rush.
"It doesn't sit well with me. It doesn't sit well with any of us," defensive end Greg Rousseau said this past month. "We know we've got to be better. I know I've got to be better. I'm excited to put my best foot forward out there when it matters most, because that's what's important. We're trying to get to the Super Bowl and win a Super Bowl. ... Nobody is hiding from that."
It is not a new concept for the Bills to build around the lines -- it's been a consistent philosophy under coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane. However, the team has dealt with enough inconsistency and injury over the last couple seasons to confront that area head-on going into 2025.
Beane has addressed the group in a variety of ways in free agency, and while the moves offer a potential for success, there's also significant uncertainty.
So far, veteran Von Miller was released, Rousseau was signed to a four-year contract extension, and the team signed linemen Joey Bosa, Larry Ogunjobi and Michael Hoecht as outside free agents. As Ogunjobi and Hoecht officially signed their contracts, Beane announced that both are facing six-game suspensions due to testing positive for performance enhancing drugs (PEDs), leaving two of the team's newest signings unavailable for a significant portion of the season.
The draft is under a month away and, even with those moves in mind, the line remains among a list of needs.
How will Bosa's past injuries inform his performance? What is the implication of both Ogunjobi and Hoecht being suspended the first six games of the season? The Bills defensive line adjustments have been significant -- but will the risks get in the way of helping the team take a step forward?
Bosa signing
The Bills needed to add a pass rusher this offseason, and signing Bosa to a one-year, $12.6 million deal with $12 million guaranteed was a splashy way to address it.
Bosa, who will turn 30 in July, has played in 15 or more games in three of his nine career seasons, and over the last three seasons, has played in 28 of 51 games. During his introductory press conference after signing, Bosa acknowledged that he was playing at 60-70% during the 2024 season due to a gluteal strain that affected his sciatic nerve and it wasn't until the end of the season when he started to play like himself.
"I just want to do everything I can possibly to stay healthy and to contribute to this team and be a part of winning," Bosa said. "I'm running out of time here. It's going fast. I'm in year 10 already coming up, and I just don't have that many moments left. So, I have to grasp them while I can."
Bosa ranked fourth in edge pass rush win rate from 2017-21 among qualified players, beating his block in under 2.5 seconds 25% of the time. In the last three seasons that dropped by 10% to 27th in the NFL.
A one-year deal comes with only so many risks, but for this organization, the pressure comes in building around quarterback Josh Allen and reaching the Super Bowl as soon as possible.
Bosa being healthy down the stretch will be crucial. Part of why Miller's time with the team did not work out was a season-ending right ACL injury in his first year -- after starting out with eight sacks in 11 games -- and not returning to form.
The team relies on a defensive line rotation. Bosa noted that playing a large number of plays in a 17-game season isn't realistic, "You hit that sweet spot around 35, 40, 45 plays and play all of them at a really high level. And, yeah, come Week 17, you're still ready to go," Bosa said.
Beane has said that the Bills will have an individualized strength and conditioning plan for Bosa, as they do for every player. The playing style that has brought Bosa past success has played a part in his injuries. Closely monitoring the starter's time on the field during the regular season will play an important role to his longevity on the field.
"[Bosa] plays the game violent, he plays reckless, without care for his body, which you love," Beane said. "... He knows how to rush. He hasn't lost that. Played 14 games last year, 41% of the play time, so he can help us. We need to have him help us through the year, and then also hopefully we can qualify for the playoffs and have him fresh, ready to help us down the stretch."
Ogunjobi and Hoecht suspensions
The Bills will be without two of their newest defensive linemen for the first six games of the season as both Hoecht and Ogunjobi await suspensions under the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances due to positive PEDs tests. The team knew about Hoecht's suspension -- he found out three weeks into the offseason he had tested positive -- but did not know about Ogunjobi's before agreeing to terms. Both players said that they did not or intend to take the substances but are owning the suspensions.
"I think the best thing to do is just accept it, accept the suspension and not have to do a whole bunch of running around," Ogunjobi said "Because at the end of the day, it's my obligation of what I put in my body, even if it's a tainted supplement, it's still my responsibility to know. And you gotta deal with the consequences."
As a response to the suspension, Ogunjobi's contract was adjusted from the initial reported agreement of a one-year deal with $8 million guaranteed. The deal he signed contains $5.43 million in guaranteed money and is worth just under $6.7 million with his cap hit for 2025 reduced by three void years. Both players will not be paid their base salary for the six weeks they are suspended. The team will get a portion back as a credit, related to bonus money from the suspension periods after the season.
Both players can be with the team throughout the offseason and preseason, but this undoubtedly creates complications when building out the roster for the start of the season. Beane said the Bills wouldn't have purposely brought in two players facing such suspensions, but that other tackles were unavailable at the point they found out.
Hoecht, 27, was signed to a three-year deal. Ogunjobi turns 31 in June but played at least 14 games in every season of his eight-year career, a streak that will come to an end. Beane described Ogunjobi as someone who can add "some interior depth rush."
The fallout from these suspensions could extend to the draft. The team might seek to add players that can contribute sooner rather than later. The Bills are going into the draft with 10 overall picks and three in the top two rounds, which will provide more ability to add players ready to see significant playing time.
Knowing about the suspensions so far in advance allows for preparation but also complicates roster-building. As a result, while free agency has slowed, there's still significant work to be done.
Unlike the risks of the Bosa signing which lies more with performance and availability in the postseason, the reality is that the suspensions will force the building to be more creative with building the roster and could put pressure on certain players to perform quickly.